If you ask any Washington fan to pinpoint the moment they thought rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels arrived during his rookie season, you’d get a similar response. It was back in the Week 3 edition of Monday Night Football, with the Commanders on the road against the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals.
There was immense pressure on Daniels to score often as Washington’s defense would have issues stopping Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s high-powered offense.
Daniels delivered. He led the Commanders to touchdowns on their first four drives and set a single-game rookie record with a 91.3% completion percentage. Daniels saved his best moment for when it mattered the most, finding wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 27-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to give Washington a 12-point lead.
JAYDEN DANIELS. TERRY MCLAURIN. THE COMMANDERS.
: #WASvsCIN on ABC
: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bP5qrpGN8q
— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
Daniels made this throw on third-and-7, knowing he would get hit. It was one of the best throws of the 2024 NFL season.
Next Gen Stats ranked it as the third-most improbable completion of the season, saying it only had a 10.3% chance of being completed.
That throw — that game — had everything to tell you that Daniels wasn’t just another rookie quarterback.